Storm leaves 3 dead, 10 missing in Vietnam

At least three people are dead and 10 missing after tropical storm Mekkhala roared into central Vietnam Tuesday, disaster officials said.

A nine-year-old girl and her seven-year-old brother were swept away while crossing a stream in Quang Binh province, officials said. Three other people were missing elsewhere in the province.

In neighboring Ha Tinh province, a man died when he was blown off the roof of his home while trying to reinforce it during the storm. Two teenagers were missing after being swept away while crossing a stream, an official said.

In Quang Tri province, five people were reported missing.

Mekkhala, packing winds of 88 km/h, blew tin roofs off houses and caused power blackouts in Quang Binh province. About 10,000 people were forced to flee coastal villages in Ha Tinh province.

The storm hit as people in northern Vietnam were still cleaning up after Typhoon Hagupit killed 41 people last week and caused damage estimated at nearly $69 million.

Hagupit also killed 17 people and left six missing in the Guangxi region of southern China, the official Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday. Nearly 700,000 people were evacuated after heavy rains and flooding destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes.